School of Public Affairs Welcomes New York City Veterans to Faculty

Robert Walsh, Former Commissioner of Small Business Services, and John Liu, Former NYC Comptroller and City Council Member of Queens, Join Baruch College

Robert Walsh John Liu

NEW YORK, NY- January 29, 2014 - Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs is pleased to welcome Robert Walsh and John Liu as two new faculty members. They will begin teaching during the 2014 spring semester.

Robert Walsh is joining the School of Public Affairs as a Distinguished Lecturer. He will teach PAF 3343 Building Cities: Markets and Government for the undergraduate public affairs program and PAF 9136 Urban Economic Development for the MPA program.

Walsh joins the college from the Bloomberg Administration. He was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in January 2002. During his tenure, Walsh helped reshape the Agency to directly focus on and respond to the needs of the City’s 200,000 small businesses, the first time that a City agency has been completely dedicated to this goal. Prior to serving as Commissioner, Walsh spent five years in North Carolina as President of Charlotte Center City Partners, an organization dedicated to improving and growing Charlotte's central business district. From 1989 to April 1997, he led the Union Square Partnership, where he played a key role in the neighborhood's revitalization. During the 1980's, he worked in the administration of Mayor Edward I. Koch. He began his career in public service as a New York City Urban Fellow, a program he later directed. Walsh holds a bachelor's degree and a Master’s degree from Fordham University.

John Liu has accepted a an adjunct faculty position in financial management at Baruch College. Liu will be teaching PAF 9144: Budget & Financial Analysis II.

Liu previously served as the NYC Comptroller and as a City Council member representing parts of Queens. In 2013, Liu ran for NYC Mayor. As Comptroller, Liu was responsible for oversight of New York City’s $70B+ budget and for investing what became under his watch a public pension fund worth more than $150B. Before his term as Comptroller, Liu served two terms in the New York City Council. He was the first Asian-American elected to any New York State legislative body and the first Asian-American elected to City-wide office. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematical Physics from Binghamton University.

###

About Baruch College:

Baruch College is a senior college in the City University of New York (CUNY) with a total enrollment of more than 17,000 students, who represent 160 countries and speak more than 100 languages. Ranked among the top 15% of U.S. colleges and the No. 5 public regional university, Baruch College is regularly recognized as among the most ethnically diverse colleges in the country. As a public institution with a tradition of academic excellence, Baruch College offers accessibility and opportunity for students from every corner of New York City and from around the world. For more about Baruch College, go to http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/.